Spicy Chicken Tacos

1 lb ground ckicken
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon gyro spice mix
1 tablespoon spicy red rub
chopped bell pepper
chopped onion
2 tablespoons white vinegar
kosher salt
ground black pepper
Greek yogurt sauce.

Combine the chicken, oil, sliced garlic, spice mix and red rub in a medium pot over medium heat. 

Cook stirring to combine. 

Stir in 2 cups of water. Add the onions and peppers and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Reduce heat and simmer until thickened and the liquid has evaporated. 

Fill taco shells and add Greek yogurt sauce as desired.

Gyro Spice Mix

1/4 cup Ground Cumin
1/4 cup Ground Cardamom
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tightly fitting lid. Stir to thoroughly mix. The mixture will keep tightly covered for up to 3 months.

Best Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Scone

 

DRY INGREDIENTS

2 cups all purpose flour, (fluff the flour before scooping and leveling)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1 cup milk chocolate chips

WET INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup natural style creamy peanut butter

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade and pulse to combine.

Add the pieces of cold butter and pulse about 25-30 times to get the butter really incorporated in small bits. The mixture will be sandy.

Measure out the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup and then pour in the peanut butter to make 1 cup.

Add the wet ingredients to the processor and pulse/process just until the dough comes together in a lump or lumps.

Turn out into a bowl and fold in the chocolate chips, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a smooth 7-8 inch disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for an hour to an hour and a half.

Preheat the oven to 400F

Slice the chilled dough into 8 scones with a large, sharp knife, and place on the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between scones. Bake for about 15 minutes until the scones are firm and baked through. Look closely at the cracks in the top of the scone, if they look wet inside, bake a little longer. Don’t over bake. Note: you can place the scones closer together in a ring shape if you like the sides to cook into each other, pull-apart style…this makes a softer scone.
Let cool on a rack for a bit before devouring.

Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Cake

 

1 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
2 cups fresh blueberries


Preheat oven to 350F. 

Lightly grease and line a 9x9 inch square pan with parchment paper.

First make the lemon sugar. Put the sugar and lemon zest into a food processor and process until the zest is completely incorporated in to the sugar and it's pale yellow and fragrant. If you don't have a processor, just finely grate the zest and mix it into the sugar.

Cream the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy, I like to go for a full 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl as necessary. I do this in a stand mixer.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat each one well, and scrape down that bowl. Blend in the vanilla.

Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt.

Take about a tablespoon of the flour mixture and toss with the blueberries. Then add the rest to the mixer and blend until almost incorporated. Then blend in the buttermilk, just until everything is mixed, but don't over do it. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Spoon the dough (it will be thick) into the prepared pan and spread out evenly. Sprinkle some sparkling sugar over the surface if you're using. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without wet batter clinging to it. I like to loosely cover the cake toward the end of baking to keep it from browning too much.

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

 

Colorful small to medium sized bell peppers, allow 1 to 2 per serving
1 small red onion
1 cup seasoned crouton crumbs, I used Parmesan crisps that I processed into crumbs
1 cup walnuts, or pine nuts
1/2 cup heaping pitted Kalamata olives
1/2 cup heaping sun dried tomatoes, the kind in oil
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 heaping Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, minced
1 heaping Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

set the oven to 350F

Wash the peppers and trim the stem tops off. For flat shaped peppers I cut them in half lengthwise. Clean out the insides and then fit the peppers snugly into a casserole dish. If any of them don't stand straight you can carefully cut a bit off the bottom where it's uneven.

Put the crumbs in a large mixing bowl.

Peel and cut the onion into quarters. Pulse it in the food processor to finely mince. Remove to the bowl with the crumbs. Do the same with the walnuts, olives, and tomatoes, and add to the mixing bowl.

Toss everything in the bowl with the butter, cheese, and herbs. and mix until well combined.
Stuff each pepper with the mixture, and then add about 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the casserole. 

Cover loosely with foil and cook for about 30-40 minutes, just until the peppers are beginning to soften and everything is heated through. 

Gruyere Cheese Crackers

8 ounces Gruyere cheese, finely shredded

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (this is 1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, Measure with the fluff/scoop/level method

Preheat oven to 350F

Put the shredded cheese, soft butter, egg, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse and then process until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl as necessary.

Add the flour in two batches, and process just until a soft dough comes together.

Fill your cookie press according to your model's instructions and insert the shape disk of your choice. Stamp the crackers onto a clean dry baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for 15-19 minutes, or until starting to turn golden on the surface.

Let them rest on the pan for a minute or two before transferring them to a rack to cool.

Broccoli Stilton Soup

1 1/2 lbs broccoli, 
2 Tbsp butter
2 shallots peeled and finely chopped
1 Tbsp dry Sherry 
30 ounces chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup half and half 
Stilton or other blue cheese

Chop the upper stalks of the broccoli in even pieces, about one inch or so. Chop the florets as well. Set aside, separately.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a soup pot and saute the shallots for a few minutes until soft.

Add the chopped broccoli stalks to the pot. Add the sherry at this point, if using.

Add the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Cook gently for a few minutes until the stalks are just starting to get tender.

Add the broccoli florets and bring back to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer. Cover and simmer just until the broccoli is tender. Check often with the tip of a knife, or to taste. This will only take a few minutes. Note: try not to over cook the broccoli, I like it to stay nice and vibrant so remove from the heat the minute it's tender.

Let the soup cool for a few minutes and then, working in batches, puree the soup in a large food processor or blender. Blend until the soup has the texture you prefer. You can make it perfectly smooth, or leave a little texture. Note: be careful when pureeing hot liquids. Be sure your lid is on securely.

Wipe out the soup pot and pour the pureed soup back in. Stir in the half and half, and add the crumbled cheese. Heat on medium low to re-heat the soup and melt the cheese. Taste at this point to add salt if you like.

Serve hot, garnished with crumbled cheese and/or broccoli florets. I like to add a sprinkle of fresh grated nutmeg and black pepper.